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Law is actually one of the aspects of life that you cannot avoid. Whenever it is in life or in business you need a lawyer to help you understanding some law issues that are impossible for you to understand them yourself. Having a professional in your side that who is willing to help you anytime you need their help and at the same time a person you could trust is important. Unfortunately, people just don’t know where they should go so there is a professional lawyer is willing to help them. You must be able to find a lot of firms in your city but still you cannot just trust all of them.

When talking about local firm in Austin, what do you think about Probatelawyersaustin.com? Some of you might be starting to wonder about the reliability of this law firm because the fact is there are a lot of law firms in Austin that is offering similar service.  The fact is this law firm has specification in providing service related to estate planning attorney Austin. In other words, whenever you have issues with your estate planning, this firm is highly recommended for you to go.

So, for further and detail information about this will attorney lawyer, why don’t you give the site a visit right away to find out more info whether they are willing to help you or not.

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Anyone who’s been paying attention to the legal landscape in recent years has likely already noticed the increasing number of law firms that are merging with other law offices in an effort to remain profitable while avoiding aggressive lay offs.  A. Harrison Barnes, attorney and LawCrossing.com founder says the proof is in the numbers.  In 2007, there were 54 law firm mergers in the U.S.  The following year, the total rose to 55 and by February 2009, there were 20 such mergers, which averaged out to more than two a week, with a new record being expected by year’s end.  So what’s it all about?

The LawCrossing.com founder offered a few explanations.  “The recession, a strong need to up the ante in billing rates and more large American firms facing lay offs of their associates are just a few of the reasons these mergers make sense on every level”.  Interestingly, since 2008, it’s the South that has seen more mergers and acquisitions than any other region.  In fact, in 2008, of the 55 law firms that were involved in these transactions, 22 of them were in the South and more specifically, the Southeast.  States such as Florida, South and North Carolina and Georgia are seeing a lot of these consolidations take place.

Another reason these practices are so attractive, says A. Harrison Barnes, is due to the “strength in numbers” concept.  Two firms might be succeeding, but when they come together, they often find they flourish.  Bringing two firms, each with its own clientele, has proven beneficial on many levels.  Clients are seeing these affirmations that their representation is on solid ground and making the right choices; that can only lend to more confidence in their legal firms.  Plus, it opens up the door for a new team of dynamic lawyers to come together as a team, each with his own specialty.  This makes it attractive for those big clients who have a wide spectrum of needs; it instills confidence.

While this might not mean new hires in the immediate future, it does position those firms into a much stronger perspective when the time comes that they do need to add associates.  “There’s no denying that the economy is on the mend; it’s just a much slower dance than anyone predicted and as a result, all sectors have had to revise their short term outlook and goals”, said Barnes.  “Once these firms are able to bring on new talent, it will be from a much stronger place that includes added benefits for both the firm and the associate”.

Many law offices are also considering what they can offer once merged.  Higher fees for specialized legal services are very attractive.  Clients like knowing that one firm can effectively handle all of his legal needs.  With more than 165,000 law firms in the United States, every advantage has the potential of being a powerful move that can make or break a firm.

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Getting into law school can be a very arduous task for aspiring students. You need to start as early as your freshman year in high school if you decide that being a lawyer is what you really want to do for the rest of your life.

Do not be misled by the rosy portrayal of a lawyer’s life in TV or in the movies. In real life, lawyers would have 12 to 18 working hours, especially for those who are aspiring to be partners in their respective law firms.

In order to achieve your goal, first, you need to have the correct mindset. Here are some tips on how students can realize their lifelong goal of becoming a lawyer:

1. Know what you want, and how to get it.

First, reflect on the reasons why you would like to pursue this career. If you are just looking for the ‘flash’ or recognition of becoming a lawyer, remember that becoming one is sheer hard work. Just like in every profession, you need to give yourself into studying, then working as a lawyer.

You may have this idealistic view as a kid that you want to save the world from the injustices that is why you would like to become a lawyer.

If you find yourself still passionate about this cause, there is no harm in pursuing your dreams.

More importantly, remember that once you decide on taking up law, you need to work very hard as a student.

2. Take off your rose-colored glasses.

You need to understand that not every student who takes up law ends up with a job as a lawyer once they graduate.

You will not necessarily end up as a courtroom hero saving an “innocent criminal” in this field.

You may find yourself dealing with real estate, corporate law, divorce cases, or even drafting up wills.

Prepare yourself for all possibilities because anything could happen.

3. Ask yourself, “Am I competitive enough?”

From the time that you send in your applications, to the time that you take the exam to be a licensed practitioner, there will be competition.

Applications for entry into law schools soar every year. What are your chances of being chosen and accepted as compared to thousands of other applicants?

Check the skills that you have and once you are confident enough that you can get into law school, then you have gone through the first step in achieving your goal.

4. Go to a university which has a record of getting a lot of students into law school.

It is safe to say that if you are a graduate of a school which “produces” a lot of great law students, then this should be a plus factor for you.

There are universities that help the students get into law school by providing mock exams and interviews, and also offer letters of recommendation.

5. Having a good grade-point-average (GPA) is not enough, you need to pass the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) with flying colors.

Maintain your GPA, and make sure that you perform well in the LSAT’s. There are web sites where you can take practice tests at a certain cost. You may also enroll in a course that aims to prepare you for this particular exam.

6. Be an early bird.

Once you have decided on entering law school, make sure that you submit your applications way before the deadline. This should give you ample time to prepare.

Finally, you need to organize your letter of recommendations, transcripts and all the paperworks that you will need to get in.

You may seek the advice of a consultant, undergraduates or lawyers who have already passed the stage that you are now going through as a hopeful law school student.

If you combine hard work with determination and you prepare everything in advance, you will surely gain entrance to the prestigious law school of your choice.

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Lawyers who want to market their firm could learn a lot from journalists about how to make the most of one basic news item.

Most journalists find themselves writing the same story over and over again because when there’s very little around that’s genuinely new, the media has to find new angles on old stories to fill their papers and bulletins.

That’s why so many of the stories you see in the media are merely variations on a theme that has been explored many times before. Solicitors who want to give their law firm marketing an extra push can use the same approach.

They should be able to get several bursts of publicity from the same story if they play their cards right.

Three times for emphasis

One good way for solicitors to get publicity is by commenting on changes in the law. To get the most out of the story, however, you should aim to tell us about it at least three times – preferably more than that.

The format for this is very simple:

tell us what’s going to happen with this new change in the law;
tell us again when it’s happening; and
tell us yet again when it’s happened.

The drill

This is how it works in practice.

As soon as you hear of a proposed change in the law, whether in draft legislation or a government statement, fire off a press release to your local media warning what will happen should such a proposal come into force. It doesn’t matter whether you are for or against the proposal. As long as you can argue that it will affect the public one way or the other then the media are likely be interested.
Then in the week that it’s due to come into force, you will have another chance to market your law firm by sending off another press release updating your views. It doesn’t matter if your views haven’t changed. You can say the same things again and still get coverage because, by now, several months will have passed and the fact that the law is coming into force makes it news again.
Then, a few months later, you fire off yet another press release saying what effect this new law is actually having now it’s a reality. You might argue that it has been a failure and should be scrapped immediately. Or you might say it’s been a triumph and more people should come forward to your firm to get the full benefit of what it has to offer.

It gives you three bites at the same cherry, but in fact there will probably be far more opportunities than that if you exploit other landmarks in a bill’s passage such as first and second readings, amendments and so on.

Don’t worry about saying more or less the same thing several times with just a few modifications. Journalists have been doing that for years as a way of meeting deadlines and filling column inches. It has never bothered them and neither should it worry anyone wanting to market their law firm.

If you dreamed of becoming a legal consultant in a very prestigious company or maybe a lawyer who will successfully defend your client in courts, you can achieve them by getting the right education and training. Just like for any career, you must be well versed on the chosen field and of course possess the necessary skills. However, if it would be too much hassle on you to attend classes on a school campus, you can always decide to get an Online-Law-Degree.

However, there are a lot of online law schools that offer a program for this kind of degree and you might find it hard to choose which one would be the best. The first thing that you must do is to check out what specific schools are accredited by distance learning organizations and bar associations in your state. You must do this so that you will be assured that you will get the quality education that you need.

Try to check out the history of the school when it comes to students who qualified on the state bar examination. Their ratings will somehow reflect the quality of education that they can provide when it comes to getting an online law degree on the said school. Do not enroll on a school where you are in doubt of its achievements. You will be the one to suffer if you will risk your education and future on that specific school.

Your future employers would also be checking on what school you were able to get the degree. A highly reputable school is without question a plus factor when it comes to your application. It would be one of the requirements that some companies or law firms would consider. You must also have a good score when it comes to the different exams that an employer would require from you.

You must also ask from the school the specific programs that they offer. The field of law has different specializations and you might want to check out which one really interests you. Maybe you want to get a doctoral or master’s degree on jurisprudence or if you want to be a corporate lawyer, tax law can be a field which you can choose. Just remember to see whether it is offered on the school that you chose.

Lastly, you must think of the costs or the money that you will need in order to pay for the Online-Law-Degree. It must be affordable and you must be able to support yourself until it will be finished. You can also ask for financial assistance if you think that it would be impossible for you to finish what you have started or pursue what you have longed dreamed.

These are the things that you must consider when choosing an Online-Law-Degree given by an accredited school. You will be assured of the quality education; training and brighter future when you will know how to choose the right school that will fulfill your dreams.

Online law enforcement degree can be offered by a good number of schools. Your task is to choose which school will provide you with the program that you want. Click http://online-law-degree.net/ for more details.

Pune, India, 19 May 2009

Although legal services outsourcing has garnered a lot of media attention, there still is a sizeable proportion of the legal community that has not considered outsourcing legal services to lower cost destinations.

Offshoring of legal services to India began way back in 1995 when law firm Bickel & Brewer opened a captive facility in India. The legal services outsourcing industry started to attract significant attention only around 2005. In a matter of just a few years, the industry has grown to reach $225 million in revenues in 2008. However, this is only a very small portion (<5%) of the addressable market. According to the recent survey results, there is a low perceived benefit of outsourcing legal services amongst law firms and (if not addressed) this is likely to stunt the growth of the LPO industry.

Most of the law firms are relatively new in terms of their offshoring initiatives and have not integrated offshoring in their overall strategy. A large number of law firms, irrespective of their size, are apprehensive about sending their legal work to another country. While this does result from lawyers not being convinced about the benefits of offshoring, they also indicate concerns such as data security, client confidentiality and quality of work delivered.

Cost reduction was rated as the primary driver for offshoring legal services. Other significant drivers include client pressure to cut costs by offshoring, increasing workload, time differences and competitors’ decisions to offshore. According to Neeraja Kandala, lead analyst – Legal Services, “There seems to be some awareness about the benefits of offshoring, especially amongst those who offshore. However, for the majority, the drivers do not seem to be strong enough. Obviously, the benefits do not appear to be substantial to help over-ride their concerns.”

Data security and quality of work delivered emerged as the key concerns for law firms. Given the confidential nature of legal documents, it is understandable that law firms have apprehensions on the security aspect.

While several leading and experienced offshore legal service providers take adequate precautions to ensure that there is no data theft, this needs to be communicated to the law firms in a more convincing manner. Further, service providers need to gain the confidence of buyers that a satisfactory end product will be delivered. According to Arun Jethmalani, CEO, ValueNotes, “This is the challenge for the provider community as a whole, but inconsistency in quality between the good and not-so-good providers will remain a problem until sufficient maturity is achieved – both by buyers and sellers.”

The ValueNotes report: “Legal Services Outsourcing: What do Law Firms Think?” provides an understanding of the offshoring awareness, drivers and concerns of US and UK based law firms. The survey throws light on the perceptions towards the associated risks and rewards of outsourcing legal services to low cost destinations.

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I recently spoke with partners from two separate law firms about implementing a public relations program. Independent of each other, they expressed their skepticism about the value of such a program for a law firm saying that being in People magazine or on Oprah would not bring them many clients. What they were actually thinking of was “publicity,” which refers to getting media coverage and even gaining notoriety. But that is just one aspect of public relations.

Doing business in and around the entertainment capital of the world, it’s easy to understand why someone who hears the term “public relations” immediately thinks of Larry King Live, Entertainment Weekly or other venues where celebrities can tout their latest wares or rehab stints. But what these attorneys overlook is that the “public” in public relations refers to their publics, not those of Britney Spears.

Who Are Your Publics?

Public relations is defined in the American Heritage Dictionary as “the art and science of establishing and promoting a favorable relationship with the public” through a variety of tactics. But, the “public” should not mean the general public. The publics of law firms are usually current, prospective and former clients, referral sources, influencers, and any other publics that are relevant to the firm’s practice areas. It is your relationship with these publics on which your marketing and public relations campaign will focus. In fact, targeting your own publics is much simpler and more cost-efficient than trying to reach the masses.

Different firms and practice areas will have different publics with which they want to communicate. That’s why your first step in a marketing and public relations program is to identify who your publics are, and where they are. The parameters can be defined geographically, demographically, by industry, and/or by company contacts.

In addition to the common law firm publics already mentioned, the practice of public relations engenders its own subset of publics. This includes journalists, editors, and TV producers who provide a conduit to your primary publics. Your relationships with these contacts come under the heading of “media relations,” another aspect of public relations.

Some practice areas might consider key bloggers as an important group with which to communicate. Another public is influencers – those who influence a prospect’s decision, but may not use the firm’s services themselves. These may include bankers, civic leaders, well-connected professionals and other referral sources who often give advice or otherwise guide someone’s choice of a lawyer or firm. Depending on your firm’s practice area, other publics with whom you may want to communicate include community organizations, lobbying groups or governmental agencies.

What Do You Tell Them?

A second American Heritage Dictionary definition of public relations is “the methods and activities employed to establish and promote a favorable relationship with the public.”Your methods and activities to promote the relationship depend in part on each group’s “buyer” values that determine their criteria for selecting a law firm. So before you can launch your marketing tactics, you need to craft appropriate messages for your different publics.

For your current clients, your message should validate and reinforce their decision to use your attorneys’ services. For prospects, your message must be designed to position you as a credible, experienced professional. That message must also clearly state who you are, what you do and what benefits potential clients can expect from hiring you.

Journalists and other media conduits will value you if you know their “beat” and, bring trends and other worthwhile information to their attention. For example, if your firm’s expertise is in aviation financing, forecasting what the credit crunch will mean to aviation financing could be attractive to the media. Sending press releases and communicating with the media in a way that provides value requires careful planning, strategy, and follow-up.

How Do You Reach Them?

Once you have identified your publics and honed specific messages for each group, your next step is to determine how you are going to reach them. What are the communication channels that will make them most receptive to your message? Publics are best accessed by various and often different channels including email blasts or blogs, phone calls, hard-copy reprints of articles you have published, newsletters, business breakfasts, seminars, open houses, receptions, trade show displays and various other special events. Although different publics respond to different communication channels, you will increase your chances of making a memorable impression if you use a mix of methods, for example, sending a reprint one time and then an email blast on another occasion.

As the second word in “public relations” suggests, building relationships with particular constituencies is also an important component of a campaign. This includes pro bono work through which you give back to the community and support a particular group, such as Public Counsel. Another vehicle to build a relationship is sponsorship. By sponsoring a fundraiser or making a donation, you are not only communicating that you support the organization’s cause or goals, but also that you want to do business with the group and its members.

Define Your Way to Success

The next time you hear the term “public relations” think about the publics that are important to you. Determining the who – the targets of your public relations – is the first key to developing an effective marketing plan. Once you know who they are, determine what it is you want to tell each group, and finally the how of the best channels for communication with each public. A third definition of public relations is “the degree of success obtained in achieving a favorable relationship with the public.” If you have done a good job defining your who, what and how, you are on your way to success.

Sharon Berman is principal of Berbay Corp., a marketing consulting firm specializing in working with law firms. She can be reached at berman@berbay.com This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Designed for Justice is a small website design and search engine optimization company targeting law firms nationwide. They offer PR and Marketing for Law Firms, helping to boost their public visibility on the internet. Their marketing strategies are aimed towards creating well optimized websites that deliver organic traffic and attract new clients to local law firms.

Local search engine strategies for these small businesses are a must. Local search engine strategies target high traffic keywords within multiple cities and states. The key to securing great organic traffic from local searches is to achieve a broad optimization, having many first page rankings over just a few keywords. The idea is to blanket the industry because localized searches are likely to vary more person to person.

Online searches for services and products have grown tremendously in the past 5 years. Today Designed for Justice is providing law firms with 21st century advertising with search engine optimization. Search engine optimization is not a pay-per-click format. Instead SEO experts utilize clean HTML, Keyword Rich Content and Backlinking. To be number 1 in a search engine you do not have to pay, Google ranks your website based upon relevancy of content, accessible code and the number of inbound links you have.

If your law firm does not have a well optimized website that is producing leads, or you have never invested in SEO you are already behind your competition. SEO has been the forefront of the internet. The top search engine, Google is already worth more than IBM and Microsoft. Google has become the leading provider of websites to the world. With 86% of the market share of their competitors Google also has the #1 spot in traffic hits daily. The most astonishing statistic is the amount of households, 46%, searching for products and local services online.

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